Red Rose Petals
by Ichikoo
Summary: Draco and Ginny in their last year at Hogwarts...will they find the one who will see thier true soul? (Dr/G)Read and Review! Chapter 3 up!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Red Rose Petals

Author: Straw_berry

Rating: PG13

A/N: AAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first one I made of this story was somehow deleted from my diskette!!!! And I have to re-type the whole thing all over AGAIN!!!!

Clearances:

1. ( )- this is still part of the story.

2. [ ]- this means author's notes.

3. Ginny is accelerated here.

Hi Ho De Lai'o!

Chapter One

          Draco Malfoy sat on an ornately crafted table, munching an apple, while listening to a female rant and rave about something.

_          This apple tastes good…wonder where it came from…_

          "Draco!" the female said, waving her hands in front of his face. "Are you listening to me!?"

          "Yeah. I was. Quit waving your hands will you! You're disturbing my eating!"

          "You're not listening!"

          "I was!"

          "Then what was I talking about a millisecond ago!?"

          "You were asking me, dearest cousin, whether I was listening to your woes or not!"

          "You're insufferable!"

          "I am not!"

          "Yes you are!"

          "You call your favorite cousin insufferable? I'm shocked!" Draco said, making a high falsetto-ish fainting sound.

          "You know very well, Draco, that the reason why you're my favorite cousin, I because you're my ONLY cousin. And besides, I bet you don't know how it feels to have my problems…"

          "You have problems? Really? I thought you had a butler to take care of it for you?"

          "Stop it, will you! You know I don't have a butler…and besides, you aren't the one who's gonna be forced to marry someone who you don't know!"

          "You're right…but try being the one who's expected to marry Pansy Parkinson…"

          "Ewww! That pug-faced girl who's a spoiled brat?!"

          "Yup! The one and only!"

          "Damn…now I pity you! Why don't you just tell Lucius that you don't want to?"

          Draco let out a strangled laugh. "Are you crazy? Doing that would mean instant death…or worse. I remember when…

/flashback/

          _"Look Draco! What a beautiful flower!" Narcissa Malfoy said to her six-year old son, pointing to a rose on a bush._

_          "Yes, mummy! It sure is beautiful! I want to give it to you! Just wait for a moment!" Young Draco said, rushing over to the rosebush._

_          "Wow…" he said when he got close enough to examine the rose. "I'm gonna get it!"_

_          His chubby six-year old hands weren't strong enough to break the stem of the rose, but he tried and tried, until finally, it broke off._

_          "Yay! Now I can give it to mum!" he said, rushing over to where his mom stood._

_          "What's that on your hand, boy?" a rough mean voice, belonging to Lucius, asked._

_          "A rose, Father! A rose for mum!" he answered, giving his father a sunny smile._

_          "Foolish nonsense. Give me that!" Lucius ordered, reaching out for the rose._

_          "No! I'm gonna give it to mum!"_

_          "I said give it to me!"_

_          "NO!!!"_

_          Lucius grabbed the rose from Draco, tearing the flower apart before grabing Draco by the collar and throwing the rose behind him._

_          Draco watched, his eyes blurry with tears, as the rose petals slowly fell unto the ground, it's beauty destroyed._

The rose was for mum…now I don't have anything to give her…

_          Later on, in his mother's carriage, a sobbing Draco was being soothed by his mother._

_          "Shush…mummy isn't angry at you…"_

_          "But mummy…now I don't have anything to give you…"_

_          "Shhh…just sleep…" Narcissa said, caressing the scarred palm of her son. While Lucius grabbed the rose, it's thorns wounded her son's hands._

_          "Shush…"_

_          "shush…"_

_          "shhh…"_

_          "Sleep…"_

/flashback/

          "Draco? Are you okay?" his cousin's voice asked, breaking into his thoughts.

          "Huh..?"

          "You remember when you what?"

          "What?"

          "You were telling me about something…"

          "Oh, nothing, forget about it. Hey! I think I hear the elf calling…let's go down and eat."

          "Sure…whatever you say, your Lordyship…"

          "Quack down, Mother Goose."

~

          The Weasley house had much improved, compared from what it looked like in the past.

          New rooms had been added, the living room had been enlarged, and their land had extended from their own backyard to the farm adjacent to their house.

The Weasley family, like their house, had also undergone many changes. 

          First of all, the eldest of the Weasley brood, William Anderson Weasley, better known as Bill, Head Boy, Good Boy, Bank Curse Breaker, had gotten married to Anita Shane Samalla, a blonde-haired girl with brown eyes, President of the Starlight Sorority at Beauxbatons, Honor Student and fellow Curse Breaker at Gringotts.

          Second was that the second eldest of the brood, Charles Harley Weasley, just sent the news of his engagement to Rose Marie Frogwallow, a brunette with wild, curly hair and olive eyes, home. They were getting married at this upcoming Christmas Break.

          Percival James Weasley, or rather, Percy, had just moved out of the Weasley House. The Ministry of Magic, seeing how devoted he was to his work, had given him a flat just outside of Diagon Alley. Another change was of Percy's attitude. His long-time fiancée, Penelope Clearwater, had just broken up with him, because he was being an arrogant, self-absorbed git. And because of their big-break-up, Percy had humbled down, and had become more agreeable.

          Fred and George Weasley had bought the farm that was adjacent to the Weasley house and moved in there. They had transformed the smelly run-down old farm into an operation area for their very successful joke shop. They go home quite often though, because none of them liked to cook dinner, and it was always convenient to just jump over the fence and smell the homey smells of home.

          Ronald Aames Weasley had just transferred from his room to the twins' room. The family ghoul had been making too much of a racket, and, he was going to share his new room with somebody else.

          Harry Potter was the biggest change of all in the Weasley household. After Vernon and Petunia Dursley had finally gathered up enough courage and forcefully kicked Harry out of their home, Arthur and Molly Weasley temporarily adopted him. He was to stay with them until his Godfather; Sirius Black's name could be cleared. He was now sharing a room with Ron in their house, living there twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, four weeks a month, twelve months a year.   

          Ginny Weasley had been permitted by her parents to redecorate her room. So, her room had turned from a thing belonging to an antique shop to a thing of beauty.

          Her walls had turned from dirty white to pale green, her windows, from no curtains to rosebud patterned ones. She had thrown out her old desk and bookcase, replacing it with new ones.  Her old cabinet also had to be thrown away, due to the holes all the mice had been gnawing, and was replaced with a new one, complete with an un-sarcastic mirror who loved to compliment her and her russet colored tresses. Her wrought-iron bed was still intact, although the covers had been replaced. The flooring, instead of being bare, was now covered with dark green carpet.

          Her parents were greatly surprised at how she had been able to decorate her room in that way, with only such a small budget. They didn't know of course, that Harry had helped her—'it was a way of showing his thanks'—as Harry had said.

          It was a bright sunny day when all the Weasleys, including the sister-in-law and the soon to be sister-in-law, were sitting in the newly enlarged living room.

          Bill and Anita were sitting on the loveseat, Charlie and Rose sat on the beanbag on the side of the seat. Percy sat on the comfy armchair next to the couch which Harry, Ron, Fred and George shared. Her parents were sitting on the other loveseat, while she sat on the floor.

          Ginny waited for everyone to stop chattering before she burst out her big announcement.

          "Dad, Mum, Bill, Anita, Charlie, Rose, Fred, George, Ron, and Harry…Since we're all here together now…I want to tell you all the good news!"

          "Anita's pregnant?" said Charlie.

          "NO, Bill won the lottery!" said Fred.

          "You're engaged?" said George.

          "George, Ron would've killed the first man who would dare go out with Gin…" said Bill.

          "Yeah…forgot that fact. Sorry, Bill!"

          "Malfoy's Dead?" said Ron.

          "Which Malfoy?" asked Harry.

          "All of them, for all I care." Said Ron.

          "They grow apple trees in Egypt?" asked Rose.

          "Hermione's engaged to Ron?"

          Ron blushed.

          "No dope, that's impossible…even Hermione's not that dumb…"

"What did you say!???"  
"Calm down Ron! That was just a joke!"

"So, what is it, Ginny Dear?" her mum asked.

"Well…since I have been getting higher than a fifth year student's GPA…the Professors let me skip sixth year and make me study as a seventh year student!"

"That's great, dear!" her mum said.

          "Yes, I agree! I knew you could do it!" said her dad.

          "At least someone in this family followed my footsteps." Quipped Percy.

          "Don't study too hard, Gin!"

          "Yeah, you might wind up like Percy!"

"What!"  
"Just kidding Percy!"

"Nothing wrong with a good joke, isn't there?"

"Harrumph!"

Ginny watched them all with loving eyes.

_I love them all…_

~

Draco Malfoy sat quietly in his seat, eating his lunch.

_Only a few more minutes…then I'll be free from this agony…_  
"Dear, how is your mother?" his mother asked his cousin.

"She's fine, aunt Narcissa."

"How is Hailey? Is he still working in the bank?"

"Hailey's still working at the bank, but he's been promoted to bank manager."

"And your father?"

"He's fit and healthy…he still plays golf every morning with Counsel Minister Artania."

"Draco, why don't you eat your dessert?"

"I'm not hungry mum…"

"Boy, are you prepared for opening of school?" Lucius Malfoy's sharp cold voice asked.

"Yes Father."

"Hmph. Such a bad shape that school's in…Dumbledore being headmaster is the worst thing that anyone has ever done…"

_Yeah right…following that old crippled thing named Voldemort is the worst mistake any decent creature would ever do…not that Lucius is decent…_

"…and letting muggle-borns study in that school is simply revolting!"

Draco could sense his cousin's anger radiating from where she sat.

_Yeah…I forgot…Aunt Lillian has a bit of muggle blood in her which came from her great grandmother…_

"Niece…your father has informed me that you will go to school at Hogwarts this year…"

Now Draco could sense his cousin's anger zoom from 66% to 90%.

"…beware of those filthy muggle-borns there…remember…Malfoy blood and heritage is a special privilege, that not all are gifted with…"

_Really…_Draco thought wryly_…precious? Is that why you don't care whenever the floors of the dungeon get spilled with your own heir's blood?_

"So be careful that no muggle filth be infiltrated in you—"

"No!!!" his cousin answered back.

"What!?"

"You piece of—"

"Father," Draco cut in between his father and his cousin, "my cousin is very upset right now…can I bring her upstairs? To her room, perhaps?"

"Fine. You may be excused. And teach her to bite her tongue."

"Yes, father." He replied, steering his cousin out of the room.

When they were safely out of earshot, and somewhere near his cousin's room, Draco shook his cousin.

"Are you mad?!"

"Well, he had no right to insult my mother that way! Him talking of filthy muggle-borns…as if he isn't filthy himself…that b—"

"Whoa…stop cursing. These walls have ears in them, don't you know?" he said, entering his cousin's room.

When they got inside, his cousin threw herself in her bed and screamed in her pillow.

"Done working out your frustrations out already?" he said, giving his cousin a crooked smile.

"Almost."  
"Uncle Jefferson never told Lucius about your mother's heritage, didn't he?"

"Never. Mom has gotten over that stage wherein she used to be affected by all the insults he gave to muggles."

"Why are you so upset, anyhow? I know that the muggle insult thing went too far, but you're a Malfoy, and Malfoy's are known for keeping their cool…"

"I'm also pissed off about my dad transferring me to Hogwarts without my knowledge!"  
"He didn't tell you?"

"NO! It's just like my to-be-husband! I don't know who the hell he is, or how he looks like, or how he acts like! All I know is that he studies at…" his cousin paused, realization dawning on her face.

"At?" He asked.

"At Hogwarts…that must be why my dad wants me to study there…to find out who he is…for myself…"

"Hogwarts? Maybe I know him…"

"His name is Blaise Zabini."

"Zabini? Blaise Aldrich Zabini?"

"Something along the lines of that…didn't listen when dad was telling me all about him…"

"Want me to tell you a bit of inside information about him? Just so that you'll be prepared?"

"Sure…"

"Blaise is a womanizer, considered handsome by many of Hogwarts, had average grades, owns the Green Dale farms—"

"Green Dale?" his cousin cut in. "Isn't that where all the magical Herbs come from?"

"Yes. He also happens to be my best friend."

"Oh…you have a best friend?"  
"What can you expect? Blaise and I have been comrades and allies and friends even before we got into Hogwarts…"

"And he's a womanizer?"

"Yeah…"

"No wonder. One womanizer, plus another womanizer, equals big trouble…"

"I don't know…Blaise may seem quite nice to ladies, and quite arrogant to others, but he's a nice guy…"

"Really? Guess I have to find out for myself…"

"Yeah…hey, here, have a mint." He said, tossing it to his cousin.

"Thanks." She replied, popping the mint into her mouth.

"Can I use the washroom in your room?" he asked.

She nodded, still chewing on the mint.

Seconds after Draco closed the door of the washroom, a small scream was heard from the other side of the room.

"Draco Malfoy!" she shouted, banging on the door. "You dirty trickster! What you gave me was pepper, not mint! Come out here!"

"Sorry, cousin! I couldn't help it!" He said, clambering out of the bathroom window, where his broom was waiting.

"Ohhh…you big prat!" she exclaimed, using her wand to open the door. "Draco! I'm gonna—"

She looked around the bathroom, not seeing Draco anywhere.

"AAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!"

~

The remaining weeks of vacation flew by quickly, and before they knew it, school opening was just a day 

away.

The Weasley siblings, while their parents were away, decided to hold a "Sibling Talk", a tradition which

originated from Bill, Charlie and Percy.

          They were just to talk and talk and talk, to sort out past disagreements, reveal secrets, and to bond as a family.

          "I hereby open this session of our sibling talk." Said Bill, hitting the floor with a gravel.

          "Geez, stop being so formal, Bill." Said Charlie.

          "Fine. Who wants to talk first?"

          "I do!" said Fred. "Remember the time when we set fire to Mrs. Piggysnut's wig?"

          "Yeah! That was a scream!" said George.

          "She couldn't forgive us…" 

          "…so she never visited us again!" finished George.

          "Twas' quite a favor actually, her not visiting." Said Percy.

          Six redheads looked at him with shock.

          "What? I mean, even I couldn't stand her constant nose sniffing and her always scrunched up face!"

          "Alright, Percy!" said Charlie, thumping him at the back.

          "The Prefect finally shows his true colors!" said Bill.

          "Our wittle Percy…" said Fred.

          "…is finally grown up!" said George.

          "Shut, you two! It's quite normal! Even Ginny here has her bad moments!"

          Six male redheads turned to look at her.

          "Spill." Ron said.

          "Okay, fine." Ginny replied. "Remember, the day after the twins set fire to Mrs. Piggysnut's wig? I overheard her muttering something bad about us, so…I snuck up to their barn and burnt the hay…I didn't know that the barn would burn up too…"

          "Gin burnt a barn?" 

          "Really?"

          "Cool…"

          "…crap, man!"

          "Really?" Ginny asked, smiling.

          "Yeah! How come we never thought of that, Fred?"

          "I don't know, George…"

          "Maybe because you two aren't that genius enough." Said Percy, causing everyone to laugh.

          "Cut the funny stuff…time to get serious here…" said Bill.

          Everybody immediately stopped laughing.

          "Okay…so all of us know that Ginny and Ron are both on their last year at Hogwarts…so each of us prepared a speech…" Bill paused. "…Charlie begins."

          "Ron, Gin, since this is your last year at Hogwarts, I want you to enjoy it to the fullest, and leave with good memories.

          Find out what you really want to do with your life…I was lucky that I found out my love for animals early in my schooling…because of that, I was able to concentrate more on improving my skills as a Dragon tamer…and I was also lucky to have Hagrid there to help me…Fred, George? Your turn."

          "Learn how to be careful…those nights when George and I sneaked around the hallways? We discovered a lot of things about Hogwarts that most people aren't aware of…"

          "Yeah.  Dumbledore always let Fred and me off the hook, because he knew that we already knew about the things that weren't supposed to be known, and it would be useless to erase those memories."

          "Dumbledore gave us his complete trust, and we kept our word. That's another thing you need to learn…when someone gives you his trust, learn how to keep your word…we know how it feels to be trusted…and…it feels great…Perce?"

          "Appreciate your teachers…they're gonna be your greatest help when you get out of Hogwarts…and don't study that hard…Remember when it was time to take the N.E.W.T.s? I nearly killed myself with studying…and it was Professor Snape who helped me…"

          Ron and Ginny looked surprised.

          "Really…he found me at the library at lunchtime…I had skipped my lunch to study…he gave me two weeks detention."

          "What's so great about Snape giving you detention?" Ron asked.

          "At first, I hated him.  By giving me detention two weeks before exam week, I wouldn't be able to study! But I was wrong…every day, I served five hours of detention…he didn't make me work…instead, he asked me what I didn't know…and he taught me more. Turns out that he knows more than McGonagall when it comes to transfiguration…he told me that I don't need to kill myself in studying…because that would mean that I would also kill myself working…he told me that if I study too much… I won't be able to store them all in my head…I still keep contact with the Professor…he's the best counselor…Bill?"

          "Be true to yourself. Don't do something, just because you're expected to do so…when I first came to Hogwarts, I was expected to be good at Charms and Herbology, like mom and dad. But I wasn't good at those subjects at all…my strongest point was Transfiguration…and nobody expected me to be a Head Boy…but I became one…

          Be true to your heart. Whatever the heart tells you will always be true, so follow it. Remember the saying? If you love someone, then set him free…if he comes back, then he'll be yours forever…if he doesn't, then he was never yours…"

          "Which also means that you should pick up your skivvies and ask Hermione out, Ron!" said Fred.

          "Yeah! We're sick of seeing you oogle lovingly at her when she doesn't look!" said Fred.

          "I DON"T OOGLE AT HER!"

          "Give us a break, Ron…you forget that the Fat Lady sees everything in Gryffindor…and that the Fat Lady and Bill are good Chums…" said Charlie.

          "Go for it, Ron…or else you might lose her…" said Percy, in a sad voice.

          "Yeah…" said Ginny.

          Ron just shut up and turned beet red, which caused everyone to start laughing once again.

~

          Draco and his cousin lay on the grass, looking up at the stars.

          "Are you ready?" he asked.

          "Ready for what?"

          "School."

          "I think I am…"

          "What if you don't get into Slytherin?"

          "I'll survive…I'll visit you and talk to you in the hallway…"

          "There are things that are unchangeable in Hogwarts…such as the silent rule which states that Slytherins are evil, and that they don't mingle with the other houses…"

          "But you're not evil, Draco…you've a good heart…"

          "But no one else sees that…no one else wants to take the risk, and look…all they see is the mask that I put up…to cover my face…all they see is the costume I wear…to shield my soul…"

          "Someone will, Draco…there's always a someone for everyone…"

          "I don't believe so…"

          "There will always be…look at my dad…he was bad…but when he met mom…he turned into good, and faced the light…"

          "But he still wears a mask…"

          "Only in front of your father…"

          "Look, Draco…a shooting star…make a wish…"

          "I don't believe in those…"

          "Make a wish, anyway…"

          "Okay…but I doubt it would come true…"

          "Oh, just shut and wish!"

          Draco Malfoy shut his eyes and thought of a wish.

          _I wish…that someone would finally see the real me…_

~

          It was an hour later, when the 'Sibling talk' finished, and all of them were in bed.

          In Ginny Weasley's room, Ginny was looking out the window.

          _The night sky is always so beautiful…_

          Hundreds of stars dotted the night sky, making it look like a black dress with glitters.

          _What's that?_

          A shooting star had just passed by.

          _A wishing star! _

Ginny shut her eyes tightly and wished.

_I wish…I wish…that someone would finally see me as Ginny Weasley…not just as 'the sister of Ron…_

~

Meanwhile, far, far away…the wish fairy gathered up the wishes on the star…

_Two wishes, of two souls, were wished on one star…and their wish will come true…_

A/N: There! Done! Finally!

          Now, be a good reader and press that little blue button…

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 \/  Thanks!!! ^-^


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Red Rose Petals

Author: Straw_berry

Rating: PG13 (for some violence)

A/N: ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My stupid diskette went haywire!!! To quote from my computer, "Drive A:/ is not accessible. Check if there is a diskette inside" and "The item has expired (or something like that…)" Which means that all my files in there can't be accessed anymore!!!! [sighs] There must be something about me and diskettes which don't work. And I was typing the fourteenth page of my second chapter!!!! And now I have to re-type it all over again!!! Holy Crapola!!!

Clearances:

1. Ginny here is seventh year, if you forgot.

2. [ ] – stands for my thoughts [which appear rarely, due to advice from another author.]

3. ( ) – stands for things that the character may be doing or thinking in the background. [this may also appear rarely.]

4. The blue button there below stands for your signal to review this story which is so painstakingly written by this author [with her faulty diskette, causing pain to her fingers.]

5. Please review! If you wish to flame me, do minimal flaming, this author is very, very sensitive.

6. Emails are also appreciated.

7. * * – are the memories/dreams of the people.

Crappy diskette…

Chapter Two

          It was four in the morning at the Weasley household.  The whole house was silent, devoid of any sound, save for the breathing of the people who lived there.  Fog and mist covered the whole place, protecting it from prying eyes. 

          All was still…all was asleep…save for one person.  Ginny Weasley. She was walking towards a clump of trees near her house, for what purpose? Nobody knew. Except her.

          _The house seems so silent…it creeps me out…_

          She kept on walking, relying on nothing but her keen sense of perception and direction on where she was going. 

_          At last, I'm here._ She thought.

          'Here' was a circle of trees which was like a wall, because the trees were so close together, preventing other people to see who was inside. There was also a ring of stones in the center, which was full of old coal, and a small incense pot in the middle of the ring, which was full of ashes. There was a small woven mat at the south of the ring of stones (from Ginny's point of view that is.) and a spare mat, which was all bundled up.

          "Did I leave that mat there? Geez…I'm getting forgetful." She said, picking up the mat. 

She headed over to the eastern section of the circle of trees, and stopped at a tree with a bird's nest on one of its lower branches.  She pulled the branch, similar to on opening a cabinet, and put it in there.

          She now headed back to where the incense pot was, and took out one incense stick from her jacket pocket. She stuck the incense stick in the middle of the pot and took out a match stick. She struck the match and lit the incense stick, then knelt down on the mat and closed her eyes.

          The aroma of the incense stick quickly put her at ease and made her calm.

          _I wonder what Ron and Harry would think if they saw me here, lighting incense sticks?_

          The thought of it made her smile.

          _They'd probably ban me from entering Trelawney's classroom…and confiscate all my stuff…not to mention locking me up at St. Mungo's…_

          As the smell of incense slowly filled the room, her mind vision clouded, and Ginny was suddenly transported to another world, another time, and another place. 

She'd been there before, countless times when she felt lonely or unappreciated. Times when she felt too used and abused, especially after her first year, when the chamber had been opened. Here was her escape from everything. 

She wasn't sure if that place really existed…all she was sure of is that in that world, people appreciated her. She was called Mistress of Dreams, the person that people sought comfort from when they felt sad and lonely, problematic and suicidal, high in the clouds of love, and down in the deepest of despair.

She glanced around her realm as she got there. Her world simply consisted of a really huge pond, filled with lotuses. Delicate fragrant lotuses.  In her realm, there was no darkness. Sunshine filled the place, and sweet music—she called them the music of the fairies—could always be heard. In the middle of that pond was a giant lotus, which was her throne.

Ginny put her hand forward, summoning her mirror. Seconds later, a full length mirror materialized in front of her. The mirror was framed with a design of bronze vines with leaves and flowers intertwined with each other.

          She studied her reflection in the mirror. She had been transformed from ordinary Ginny Weasley to a beautiful Goddess. Her hair was set down, with curls at the ends.  Her freckles were gone, and she was wearing a light blue tube top with matching pants and a veil to cover her face—ala Arabian princess.

          With a wave of her hand, she banished away the mirror and walked towards her lotus.  

          It there was one thing to be understood about her realm, it was that there was no floors to step on.  The whole place was surrounded by water, and the only thing you can step on there is, well, water.

          When she got there, she sat on the cushiony center of the lotus. A popping sound could suddenly be heard.

          "Mistress, welcome back!" a small voice said.

          "Thank you, Trixie." She replied, smiling warmly at the holder of the voice. 

          Trixie was her friend, confidante and servant.  She was a little pixie fairy, whom she found at her circle of trees and took there.

          Trixie was a small creature, who in full height was only slightly bigger than Ginny's forearm. She had wavy pink hair and a curvy form. She had fairy wings attached to her back.  And she loved wearing a one piece strapless dress, which she claims that all pixies wear.

          Trixie may be small, but her power was strong. She had the ability to take on form as a human and to mingle with them. She could also levitate huge objects and stun a group of people in one shot.

          Most wizards would claim that she is dangerous company, but Ginny didn't worry. After all, she knew that Trixie was very loyal to her, and vice versa.

          "So, any new business?" Ginny asked.

          "Yup. We have a guy here who wants to get married to this girl but doesn't have the guts to ask her. And the girl he's gonna ask also has a problem, which is that she doesn't ,know if she should ask the guy to marry her, because the guy isn't showing signs of him wanting to marry her."

          Ginny let out a laugh. "Weird…"  
          "I know."

          "Well, let me see…" Ginny said, summoning a lotus (which happens to be the Guy's) and peering inside it.

*_Birds flew across a clear blue sky. The man was on a cliff, thinking._

Should I jump?_ The man thought. Or should I go back?_

_          The man was surprised when he saw a girl standing in front of him, on the edge of the cliff._

"What are you doing, girl? You might fall!"_ he exclaimed._

          _The girl just smiled at him, and slowly started to fall._

          "Noooo!!!"_ the man rushed and tried to catch the girl. He caught her hands, which, of course, prevented her from falling._

"Lucky I was able to catch you…if I didn't you might have died." _He said, quite sternly, to the girl._

_          The girl just smiled at him._

_          The man felt the girl's hands slowly slip from his grip._

"Hold on! Don't let go!"_ he said._

_          But the girl's hands became too slippery, and she fell._

"No…no…"_ the man said, starting to weep. To his astonishment, the tears on his hand slowly turned and formed into a ring, the exact one that he wanted to buy for his girlfriend._

"What's wrong?" _a child's voice asked._

_          The man turned to face the girl, the same girl that dropped off the edge of the cliff._

"You have the answer in your hands…"_ the girl said._

"How…how did you know?"_ the man asked, clearly astonished._

_          The girl just smiled. _"Come. She's waiting."_ She said, holding out her hands to the man._

_          The man took her hands and followed her as she led him back to the woods._*

          "Mission almost accomplished…" Ginny said, lifting her head from the lotus.

          "What'd you do?" Trixie asked.

          "I just disguised myself as a child, anyway, back to business." She said, summoning the girl's lotus.

          *_There were lit candlesticks on the table, illuminating the small gazebo she was in. the sweet smell of roses hung in the air, the stars twinkled in the sky, and fireflies flew around, reminding her of twinkling Christmas lights._

"Where am I…?"_ the woman asked aloud, to no one in particular._

_          The woman screamed as a hand suddenly clamped on her shoulder. She turned around in alarm, only to find a small girl, smiling at her._

"Wh-who are you?"_ the woman asked._

"I am a little girl. Come, I have to show you something."_ The girl said, and the woman wordlessly followed._

_          They went out of the woods and came out to the beach, where there was a glorious sunset._

"Wow…"_ the woman exclaimed._

_          The little girl just smiled. _

_          They spent a few minutes there, just sitting in silence, absorbing the view of nature._

_          The woman gave out a small sigh._

          "Why?"_ the little girl asked._

          "I don't know…"_ the woman replied._

"You don't know whether to ask your man to marry you, right?"__

_          The woman looked startled._

"Bu-but…how…you aren't a little girl, aren't you?"

          _The girl just smiled at the woman, saying nothing._

"My mother told me once of the Mistress of Dreams…who appears in dreams…"

          _Magic mist swirled around the girl, who was still smiling. Seconds later, the girl was no more. What was left in her place was a woman, who wore an Arabian princess' costume, and a light blue veil covered almost all of her face._

"You guessed right, woman. Why trouble your heart?"

          "I don't know if he loves me anymore…suddenly he seems distant to me…always disappearing…"

          "What do you want to do then?"

          "I don't know, Mistress…"

          "Do you love him?"

          "…"  
          "What does your heart tell you?"

          "…"

          "Listen to it…"

          _A few moments of silence passed between the two._

"My heart tells me that I love him, with all my heart and soul."

          "If that is what your heart tells you, then learn to trust him…for the heart never lies, woman."

          "…"

          "Do you think you can trust him?"

          "I…I can…"

          "Then let us go back now…"

          _The Mistress went first, followed by the woman. They traveled the same path they took when they went to the __Oceanside__, and soon enough, they returned to the gazebo._

_          The woman sat down the chair, deep in thought. Moments later, someone else entered the gazebo._

"Vivianne?" _the man asked._

"Shane?" 

          _The man took out an engagement box._

"Will you marry me?"*

          "Mission accomplished, Trix!" Ginny said triumphantly.

          "Alright! Give me five!"

          The two exchanged high fives.

          "Hey, what time is it, Trix?"

          "Mistress, you know that there is no time in your realm."

          "I know that. I meant in O.W.T. (Ordinary Wizarding Time)"

          "Oh…apparently, it is already seven thirty in the morning."

          "Which means I have to get going."

          "Yes, I will assist you mistress."

          "No need. Hey Trix?"

          "Yes?"

          "I won't be here for a while, okay? Take care of the place."

          "Why?"

          "I have to go to school. Don't worry; you know that I can transport myself here when needed."

          "Okay…"  
          "No taking a bath in the lotus pond, okay?"

          "Yes…"

          "Bye Trix!" Ginny said, slowly disappearing.

          "Bye bye!" Trix relied, waving her hands.

~

          Harry Potter stretched luxuriously in his bed. Sunshine was pouring in from the window, and his mini alarm read seven a.m.

          _Sigh…its still seven—wait. Seven! _

          Harry quickly sat up on his bed.

          _I have to cook the bacon! Aunt Petunia will fry me!!!_

          "Wait…I forgot again…I'm not at the Dursley's anymore…"

          Harry still couldn't believe the generosity of the Weasleys in taking him in.

/flashback/

          _"POTTER!!!" __Vernon__ Dursley shouted, rushing up the stairs._

_          Harry, who had been doing his homework at that time, quickly threw his books, quills and ink into his trunk and shut and locked it._

_          Vernon kicked open the door, face red with anger._

_          "What's this I hear about you scaring __Dudley__ half to death with your nonsense?" he half shouted, sending spittle flying._

_          "I didn't scare him! He was messing with my stuff!" Harry said, trying to keep and even tone._

_          "And you dare answer me back, you ungrateful rodent?"_

_          "Well, you asked me a question. Since when has it been a crime to answer questions?"_

_          "Why of all the rude…get out of this room!" he said, pushing Harry out._

_          He opened Harry's trunk and started placing all his things there. He opened Harry's cabinet and took out all his clothes and threw them in, locking the trunk at the same time._

_          "What are you doing with my things?"_

_Vernon__ did not reply. Instead. He took Hedwig's cage and threw it out the window._

_          "Hey!"_

_          "You, boy. Go Down. NOW!"_

_          He pushed Harry down the stairs, almost killing him, and threw his trunk down the stairs._

_          "You will never enter this house again! You are a foul creature, your parents were foul no good people who went to cults and other monstrosities and idiotic schools which teach you nothing but crap…"_

_          "They are not foul!"_

_          "SHUT UP!" __Vernon__ said, punching Harry at the same time with his beefy fist._

_          Harry was sent sprawling onto the floor, his nose broken and bleeding._

_          "I've had enough of your magic nonsense. We tried to cure you of that disease a long, long time ago, but apparently, it didn't work, and now, because of our tolerating you, you end up threatening my son!" he said, kicking Harry's fallen form on the floor._

_          He picked Harry up and threw him out of the door._

_          "My family is clean and pure! It doesn't need to be contaminated my filth like you!" he said, throwing out Harry's trunk._

_          Harry dodged the trunk, which was lucky for him, for the trunk was aimed at his head._

_          "If you go near any of my family again, I will murder you; do you get that clear, piece of filth?"_

_          Harry didn't move._

_Vernon__ knelt and grabbed Harry's head._

_          "I said, do you get that clear?"_

_          Harry opened one half-bruised eye and nodded. _

_          "Good. Take this with you." He said, throwing him Hedwig's cage, which hit his side._

_Vernon__ Dursley went back and slammed the door._

_          Harry couldn't move, his body still reeling from the pain inflicted on him. A few seconds later though, he forced himself to stand up._

_          He took his wand out, turned on his wand light, and waited for the Knight Bus to come._

_          "Lucky that Hedwig's not here…or else…" he said, looking at Hedwig's now deformed cage._

_          "Hey Stan! If ith ain't old Harry here! Where thoo, Harry?"_

_          "The Burrow."_

_          Seconds later, he was dropped off by the Knight Bus a short distance from the Weasleys home. He walked, half dragging and half carrying his trunk. When he got on the front step, he rang a bell, and then collapsed of fatigue on the floor, where a screaming Ginny Weasley found him seconds later. _

_When he regained consciousness, he found himself on a bed in a strange room, with Ginny Weasley asleep on the chair beside him._

_          "Ginny, are you awake?" he gently prodded Ginny._

_          "Oh! Harry! You're finally awake! Are you alright?" Ginny asked in a concerned voice._

_          "Yeah. I think I am."_

_          "What happened to you? You've got bruises and a bloody nose, not to mention a broken toe…"_

_          "My uncle threw me out of the house."    _

_          "Oh…"_

_          "Were you the one who answered the door?"_

_          "Yeah. I was so surprised."_

_          "Why'd you sleep on the chair?"_

_          "Because I had to take care of you."_

_          "Oh."_

_          "Don't worry…I didn't stay up all night just putting salve on your wounds."_

_          "What'd you use then?" he asked, dumbfounded._

_          Ginny laughed._

_          "What?1?" he asked._

_          "Sometimes I think you forget that you're a wizard."_

_          "Oh. You used magic."_

_          "Yeah. Your wounds are all healed, your toe's fixed, but I couldn't make your bruises go away. I only lessened the pain by a decibel, but the marks are still there."_

_          "Oh."_

_          "Harry?"_

_          "Yeah?" Harry replied, turning around to face big green orbs full of concern._

_          "Did it hurt?" she asked, her eyes telling him that she was flinching inwardly._

_          "Do you want the full version or the softer one?"_

_          "I want to know the truth, Harry." _

_          He let out a sigh._

_          "Harry…" she said, placing her hand on his arm._

_          "I was doing my homework, when he suddenly came in and threw all of my stuff in my trunk, before pushing me down the stairs and throwing my trunk after me—"_

_          "Harry, stop." She said, cringing at his words._

_          "—and then he punched me, hitting almost half my face, before kicking me in the stomach."_

_          Ginny's grip on his arm tightened._

_          "Then he picked me up, threw me out of the house, threw out my trunk, trying to hit me, then shut the door. Then I called for the Knight Bus, and then I arrived at your house a few minutes ago."_

_          "Harry…I'm sor—"_

_          "There's nothing to be sorry about, Gin." Harry cut in. "It already happened. And you didn't do it to me, so why should you be sorry?" he finished in a hard tone._

_          "I'm sorry that this had to happen to you."_

_          "You know Gin; I wonder actually, why people are so in awe of me.  They think that just because I survived Voldemort, I would be untouchable. Unsusceptible to pain."_

_          "Harry…"_

_          "I'm just human, Ginny. I'm not a god. I experience pain.  And sometimes, even more than other people do. I make mistakes, and I make up for them."_

_          "Harry…"_

_          "I don't know why people are like that…I never did ask for all the attention—"_

_          "Harry!" Ginny cut in, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. "Not all people think you're a god. I don't! I know every human, even you, even Voldemort, feel pain. It's universal, Harry! So stop thinking that people think you're like that!"_

_          "But it's true!"_

_          "Shut up and stop being a prat, will you?"_

_          "Okay."_

_          After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up again._

_          "Are you mad at me, Gin?"_

_          "If you keep up that particular behavior of yours for being a prat, I'm gonna be."_

_          "Oh…okay. How long have I been here?"_

_          "Ever since you fainted on the front step?"_

_          "Yup."_

_          "Two days, I guess."_

_          "Oh."_

_          "Hey, Harry, I guess you'd better go down. Mom will kill me if I don't tell her that you're okay. She's been worrying her life out."_

_          "Okay." He said, proceeding to the door. _

_          When he got down, he was welcomed by the entire Weasley family. All of them very worried too._

_          "Harry! When did you get up?" asked Arthur Weasley._

_          "Are you okay, Harry?" said Ron._

_          "Look at you! You still have bruises!" said Molly._

_          "Man, who did this to you?" Asked Fred._

_          "He deserves a walloping!" said George._

_          Harry grew dizzy at the frenzy around him._

_          A loud whistle sounded out from nowhere, which made them all stop._

_          "That's better. He's still weak and you crowd him like that? I won't be wondering if he does recover at all! Ron, cook him breakfast, will you? Fred, George, fix the tables! Mom? Could you prepare that tea you make?" Ginny commanded, steering Harry to a chair._

_          Harry swore he saw Bill and Charlie snickering._

_          "Now, you guys can ask." She said._

_          A lot of mouths opened at once._

_          "Stop!"_

_          The mouths closed._

_          "One by one, please."_

_          "Harry, who did this to you?" asked Fred, once more._

_          "My Uncle." He said, and then he repeated his sad tale once again._

_          The Weasley house became silent after hearing his story._

_          Then there was an uproar._

_          All the male Weasleys (and Molly) were shouting, with anger._

_          Harry looked beside him to find Ginny impatiently tapping her foot._

_          "Sorry, Harry. They're always like this when they're panicked and concerned."_

_          "It's okay. Never knew that it was like this."_

_          Ginny gave him a small smile. "Pardon me while I try to keep them down."_

_          "Okay." He replied._

_          Ginny fished around her pocket for her wand._

_          Harry saw her mutter curses, then close her eyes._

_          In a split second, all eight Weasleys were floating a few inches from the ground, all of them in a sitting position._

_          "Will you all stop it? We won't solve anything if you keep on being like this! No George, you can't plant Dungbombs in their house! Fred, if you try to shrink them all, the ministry of magic will kill you! Charlie, you know better than setting a dragon loose, and Percy, you can't lock them up in a cauldron. Mom, Dad, I know that what they did classifies under child abuse, but you cant just go barging in their house and trying to threaten them about cutting their electricity, they have generators. And Bill, I doubt that they'd go to __Egypt__ with you, even if you didn't want to lock them up at a pyramid. What we need to do here is to help Harry."_

_          Harry looked in amazement at Ginny. She was small…well, smaller than him, and she looked so delicate. It was only now that he knew that she could exude so much authority…and over her whole family too!_

_          "If you promise not to overreact, I'll put you guys down."_

_          All eight nodded._

_          Ginny closed her eyes again, and all of them slowly floated down._

_          "So what do we do?" she asked._

_          "Well, I wrote to Professor Dumbledore the day Harry got here. And he allowed us to temporarily adopt Harry and make him our son and your new brother." Said Molly._

_          Silence hung in the air for a while, while the news was sinking in._

_          The silence was broken by a squealing Ginny._

_          "I have a new brother!" she squealed out, throwing her arms around Harry at the same time._

_          As if taking their cue from her, all six of the Weasleys rushed at him to either hug (that was Charlie), shake hands (that was Percy), and thump his back (that was Gred and Forge, whoops! I meant Fred and George) and ruffle his hair (that was Bill and Ron)._

_          Afterwards, he became one of the family. They spent the whole summer playing, cleaning the house, welcoming Bill's wife and Charlie's fiancée, and doing a lot of talking._

/end of flashback/

Ginny became his female best friend, because they always spent a lot of time talking. Harry knew everything about her. Her secrets, her time at the chamber, and how she coped up afterwards. He even knew that Ginny once had a crush on him!  Ginny also knew everything about him. He knew she knew that he had an invisibility cloak, his worries, and the mirror of erised, their escapades, and everything.

The door suddenly burst open, to reveal a very sleepy looking Ron.

          "Breakfast ready, Har." He said, yawning.

          "Yeah. You go ahead. I'll just fix my bed."

          "Sure."

          Harry folded his blanket and fluffed up his pillows. Then he went to the bathroom to tidy up his hair before he went down.

          When he got down, he noticed that Ginny was missing.

          "Good Morning!" he said.

          "Good Morning!" everyone replied.

          "Where's Gin?"

          "I think she took off jogging. She always does that this time of the day." Said Charlie.

          "Oh."

          "Hey, Harry! Come and eat, you look starved! And besides, if you don't finish eating fast, you may never get to use the loo! Ron stays there for about half an hour!" said Fred.

          "I wonder what he does there?" George said, scratching his chin.

          "He probably dreams of—"

          "Being alone with Hermione shag walloping." Cut in Percy.

          Everybody was shocked at Percy's statement.

          "Percy, where did you learn that word?" asked Anita.

          "Picked it up." He replied, shrugging.

          "Why? What does it mean, hon?" Bill asked.

          Anita leaned to whisper in his ear.

          Bill's eyes winded with shock for a second, and then he whispered to Charlie, who wound up spitting out his drink.

          After wiping his mouth, Charlie whispered to Rose, who gasped and whispered to Fred, who whispered to George, who whispered to Harry.

          Harry was shocked. Knowing Percy, who was a bookworm and a hundred percent serious person, it was weird to know that he knew these stuffs.

          "Percy, you perverted child!" said Fred.

          "How come you never taught us any of that?" said George, grinning.

          "George!" said Anita.

          "Sorry…"

          "What's Snog walloping?" asked Ron.

          Harry whispered the meaning in his ear. Ron took a second to digest the meaning. When he did though, he turned beet red and screamed: "I DON"T DREAM OF THAT!!!"

~

          Draco Malfoy sat at the Malfoy limo, waiting for his cousin to come in, so that they could leave for Hogwarts.

          "Damned girls and their rituals."

          He had been waiting there for almost an hour.

          _Same old thing when I go back to Hogwarts…except that I have a cousin to look after now…_

          He suddenly grinned.

          _Correction. My cousin can take care of herself. She's a better prankster than I am! But if anybody hurts her…_

          He cracked his knuckles.

          _Wonder how I can elude Pansy this year…she stuck on to me like wonder glue last year…one more time I have to hear that 'Oh Drakie! You're so hunky!' phrase from her, I swear I don't know what I might do._

He shook his head.__

_          Why can't she take the signal and bugger off? It's not like I'm asking much from her. I'm only asking her to find another guy to screw._

He shook his head again.

          _Why can't she bug Potter instead?_

He smiled at the mental image his mind projected.

          A running Harry Potter with Pansy Parkinson hot on his heels, screaming 'Oh Harry, my hunky!'

          _Nah…however dumb Potter and Weasley are, they wouldn't settle for Pansy._

          "Draco! Open the door!" his cousin said, pounding on the window.

          "Fine, fine." He replied, opening it.

          His cousin let out a sigh. 

          "What?" he asked.

          "I just can't believe that I'm gonna study at Hogwarts."

          "Dream come true?"

          "You know that I'd rather be at my old school…but Hogwarts' pretty famous…"

          "Hey cousin, any ideas on how to lose a girl who sticks to you like wonder glue?"

          "Hey! You rhyme!"

          "I didn't do that on purpose…and besides, I'm serious here!" he said, scowling.

          "Want me to play a prank on her?"

          "Sure…just don't get caught…"

          "Okay. How far is it to King Cross' Station, anyhow?"

          "We're nearly there."

          "Really?"

          "Yeah."

          "You have any friends that you might wanna introduce me to?"

          "You wanna get introduced to Blaise right away?"

          "No thanks. I think I'll just go and find some on my own."

          "We're here."

          The limo had stopped in front of the station.

          "Let's go." Draco said, going out of the car.

          "Okay."

~

          The Platform 9 ¾ was full of students by the time Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny got there, with the family.

          "Now don't forget to eat your meals three times a day!" said Molly.

          "Yeah. Don't forget to write!" said Bill.

          "And most of all, don't forget to kick the crap out of—" said Fred.

          "—Malfoy's big fat arse!" cut in George.

          "Fred! George!" said Molly Weasley, giving her sons a look called; "You get a BIG scolding when you get home, young man."

          "Take care, guys!" said Charlie.

          Ginny rushed forward and hugged Charlie.

          "Aww c'mon, Gin, you're stuck to me like a barnacle!"

          "Fine. This barnacle's detaching." Said Ginny, giving him a look of mock hurt.

          "Bye 'Nita, Bye Rose." She said, Hugging both women next.

          "Bye, Ginny-ella. Here, take this." Anita said, slipping something cold and metallic into Ginny's palm.

          "What's that?" she asked.

          "Just look at it when you're alone. Wear it in good health." Said Rose.

          "Okay."

          "Hey, Gin, stop hogging our sister-in-laws! I get to hug them next!" said Ron. 

          "Okay!" she said, slipping that cold metallic thing into her pocket.

          "Bill!" she said, and also gave her eldest brother a hug.

          "Hey, Gin-gin! You're gonna miss me, right?"

          "Of course! Every year I miss you more!"

          "Take care, 'kay?"

           "Yeah…"

          He broke the hug seconds later.

          "I think you still have two more brothers who want to hug you." He said, motioning to Fred and George.

          Ginny rushed over to them and gave them both a great big hug.

          "Here, Ginny-bug." Said Fred.

          "Token of our appreciation for burning that barn down." Said George, handing her something like a clutch bag.

          "It has up to date prank equipment that hasn't been tested yet."

          "And we're waiting for someone to test them out for us."

          "Sure! I'd be glad to!"

          She looked for Percy yet.  He was her favorite brother, and she had to give him a hug.

          "Hey, Gin! Looking for me?" said Percy.

          She turned around and threw her brother a hug.

          "Hey, what's the hug for?"

          "You think I won't hug my favorite brother?"

          "Maybe not!"

          "Percy!"

          "Take care of yourself."

          "Yup!"

          "Better go now, train'll be leaving soon." He said, ruffling her hair.

          "Oh my gawsh!" Ginny said, rushing over to jump to and open door of the train, which was moving, slowly, out of the platform.

          "Bye!" said all of the Weasleys, waving their hands.

          "Bye!" Ginny said, waving back.

          _I'd better find Ron and Harry before they get sick with worry._

~

          Draco and his cousin stood in the middle of the train hallway.

          "What do I do now, Draco?" she asked.

          "Go find yourself a compartment to sit in."

          "Where you going?"

          "Attending to some business." He said, walking away.

          She let out a huff.

          _Damn idiotic cousins who don't even care! Especially trickster cousins like Draco!_ She thought, walking towards the opposite side.

          She and Draco have been allied pranksters for as long as she could remember.  Whenever they spent time at her family villa, her father, the bad-turned-good sheep of the Malfoys, always permitted them to romp around the place.

          She had always known Draco as a good person, and an expert trickster. She knew him very well, and could tell when he was covering up for something.

          And whenever they talked, she knew that Draco knew better than to speak lies in front of her. She was very gifted with memory, and could use it against him. Not to mention that she was pretty frank, knew a lot of curses, creative, and had a thing for having fun.  And when these things were combined and used against a person, it could only mean one thing: trouble.

          _Stupid guy…if only he wasn't my cousin, I would have hexed him._    

          She had walked to the last compartment.

          _Oh well, no one could be in there, guess I'd better go in._

          She let out a sigh and opened the compartment, only to come face to face with four people, whom she didn't know.

          _Holy crap…_ her panicking mind thought. However, her outward face remained calm and placid. After all, she was a Malfoy, and Malfoys had perfected the art of hiding emotions.

          She looked at all the people in the compartment, one by one.

          On the left was a redheaded girl with dark blue eyes.

          _Judging from the way she sits…she's kinda shy…but provoke her and she'll blow…her form…either she plays Quidditch or she's just used to sneaking around at night…maybe she's a prankster too!_

          Next to her was a brown-haired girl with blue eyes, fringed with brown-gold lashes.

          _This one knows how to bite…she's like the other one…pacifist, but war-freak when provoked. Wait…what's she holding? 700 easy Transfiguration spells? Geez. Memorized that last year. She's the brainy one, willing to bet._

          Next to the girl was another redhead, but this time, a guy.

          _Let's see…red hair, brown eyes, muscles…plays Quidditch, I'm sure…not so good grade, judging from the sad look that's there…but people don't always notice it…this one's a fighter…_

Her gaze traveled to the last person in the compartment.

_          Unruly black hair and scar…this must be Harry Potter…_

          Her gaze traveled to his arms.

          _Man…seeker training does pay out…_

Up to his face.

          _His skin's smooth…and…oh lord! His eyes…_

          His eyes were the most mesmerizing shade of green she had ever seen. They seemed to be hypnotizing her, pulling her to its' innermost depths…

          _I have to stop staring…now!_

~

          Harry Potter was laughing his head off about a joke that Ginny had just said. Ron, who was popping Bertie Bott's Beans in his mouth at that time, was on the floor, choking on a chocolate flavored one, with Hermione thumping his back so that the bean would get off.

          "Ron, Ron?  Are you okay?" Hermione said, brown hair falling over her shoulder.

          Ron just made choking sounds.

          Harry laughed inwardly as he observed them.

          They had changed a lot over the summer. Ron had grown taller, by a few inches. Due to Quidditch practices and de-gnoming, his muscles appeared, and he got a good tan.  Hermione had also added a few inches, and something had happened to her bushy hair. It was now sleek, straight and shiny, and she had no problems with keeping it that way or whatsoever. When they asked her about what she'd done to it, all she would reply was: "Nothing." 

          _She looks like she did when she went out with Viktor Krum for the Yule Ball…_

          Ginny, his new found best friend had really changed over the summer. His new brothers would joke that she changed because of him, but he knew better.  Ginny's red hair had become even more red during the summer. If before it was colored carrot-like, not it was apple red. Her eyes, which were navy blue before, turned midnight blue. She also grew taller, and when she stood up, her head was just a few inches away from the tip of his head. (Ginny now stood 5`8, compared to her before 5`4, and he stood 6`4)

          "Ron? Ewww!!!!" Ginny said.

          Ron had successfully removed the bean from his wind vane, but he spit it out, all covered with his saliva, which made an unpleasant sight.

          Ron and Hermione resumed their seats as if nothing had happened.  For a few precious minutes, they had remained silent. Then someone opened the door.

          Harry looked at the stranger who had just entered their compartment. He felt a jolt in his stomach.

          _Holy mad cows…she's beautiful!_

          The stranger had sleek, shiny dark, dark brown (it seemed black when there were no lights) nearly waist-length hair, which fell dead straight, but turned into waves at the ends. She was wearing a black turtle-neck, which showed much of her shapely form, and was wearing black leather pants, with boots as her footwear

The stranger had been looking one by one at them, and was now looking at him. 

          If he thought that she was beautiful, without seeing her face, now, that he was seeing her face, he could well say that he was stunned speechless.

          She had a beautifully shaped face, with full rosy lips. Her skin was creamy white, with no visible freckles.

          She had perfectly shaped eyebrows, which were not thick, and not thin, but just right. What attracted him most were her eyes. 

          They were colored dark amethyst, and were sparkling with…mischief? He really couldn't tell. Those eyes were drawing him nearer, closer by the second, as if daring him to make the first move.

          _Mate, if you keep on staring at her, well…you'll be bound to keep on staring at her!_

          "Um…can I sit here?" the girl said.

          Her voice sounded like delicate rose-bells, which were tinkling to a soft breeze.

          "Sure!" Ginny said, motioning for her to sit beside her.

          The girl broke into a smile, showing her pearly white teeth.

          Activity resumed inside the compartment. Everyone started talking and laughing, everyone except Harry.

          He was still staring at her.

~

          "So what's your name?" the girl asked her.

          "My name's Virginia Weasley." She replied.

          "I'm Ron, her brother." 

          "I'm Hermione Granger, pleased to meet you!"

          "I'm Harry Potter." Harry said, after being elbowed by Ron. (who whispered something to Harry like: Stop staring at her, Mate!)

          "What's yours?" Ginny asked.

          "Cicero." She answered.

          "Cool name…" 

          "Thanks!" Cicero said, smiling again.

          She really amazed Ginny.  She was the most beautiful and friendliest girl Ginny knew. Everything about her striked as exotic—it was the first time she saw someone with dark violet eyes!

          "So, what's that?" Cicero asked, breaking into Ginny's thoughts.

          "What?"

          "That." She said, pointing to the clutch bag near Ginny.

          "Oh, that. Just a present from my twin brothers."

          "Really? You have twin brothers?"

          "Yup?"  
          "That's so cool…all I have is a prat of a cousin."

          "It's kinda hard having a lot of brothers…"

          "How many do you have?"

          "6 brothers, 1 adopted brother, 1 sister-in-law, and 1 soon to be sister-in-law."

          "Wow…like I said, all I have is one hell of a pratty cousin."

          "What's your cousin like?"

          "He's a good guy, but I don't think people see him that way. All they see is his bad side. He's considered handsome by many, and has a notable reputation for having a way with women, and he's a prankster. How bout you?"

          "My eldest brother Bill's a code breaker at Gringott's, and he's married to Anita, a fellow code-breaker. Charlie's a dragon tamer, he's really fun to be with, and he's engaged to Rose. Percy's the third eldest, he's the most serious one, although lately, he's been loosening up. Fred and George are twins, who love pranks. They built Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, a joke shop. And then there's Ron. He's the most protective of everyone else combined."

          "How bout your adopted brother?"

          "Oh. That's Harry." (behind her, Harry gave a small wave)

          Cicero laughed. "What Year are you in?"

          "Me?" said Ginny. "I'm originally supposed to be in sixth, but they let me advance onto seventh grade."

          "Really? I'm on seventh."

          "Ci, let's play a game!"

          "Sure, as long as it doesn't involve doing something outrageous."

          "It's just a simple game."

          "Okay."

          "It's called 'Answer Me'."

          "Okay…"

          "I'll start. Describe yourself."

          "But that isn't a game."

          "Pleeaazzeee?"

          "Fine. I'm 5`8 tall, and I love playing pranks on others. I'm pretty frank about stuff, and I have a pretty good memory. I love having fun, and I can play Quidditch nicely. MY family describes me as a loyal person…and I'm pretty naughty."  
          "Ooh…"

          "Okay, your turn to describe yourself."

          "I'm also 5`8, and I also love playing pranks and having fun. I play Quidditch, and I'm pretty shy. I love lighting incense sticks, they calm me down, and I have a pretty good imagination. I am loyal…but my memory, unlike yours, isn't that sharp. And, yes, I can be pretty naughty."

          "Ooh…"

          "Ah, keep quiet!"

          "Hey, Virginia?"

          "What?"

          "Can I call you Ginny instead?"

          "Sure. It's my monicker."

          "Okay…I'll call you Gin."

          "And can I call you Ci?"

          "Sure."

~

          Draco Malfoy looked for his cousin in the train.  They were almost ready to arrive any minute, and he had to warn her to change her clothes.

          "Cicero?"

          "Ci?"

          He had already traveled from the front of the train, and was now near the back.

          He opened a door, only to find a snogging couple.

          _Geez…where could she be?_

          He kept on opening a few more doors before he got to the last compartment, which he knew was Potter's.

          _She can't be in here…but I have to check…_

          He opened the compartment door.

          "Malfoy!" Granger said, while trying to stop Weasel-boy, who was trying to lunge at him.

          "What do you want, Malfoy?" Potter said, hand at his wand, just in case anything happens.

          He smirked. "Put away your wand, Potter. I'm not here to hex you all to kingdom come."

          Potter stuck his wand back at his pocket, but his hand was also in there.

          Draco's eyes roamed the room, his cold gray eyes scrutinizing everyone. But then, he met blue.

          His eyes met blue ones, which were angry.

          _Blue eyes, sparkled with blue fire…that was a poem right?_

          He looked at the holder of those blue eyes. 

          "Weasley."

          "What do you want, Malfoy?" the youngest Weasley shot back at him.

          "Nothing that you have."

          He watched as her face became redder.

          "And nothing that you can give…except maybe…"

          He watched as she blushed furiously.

          Then, before he knew it, he was flat on the floor, and there was a blinding light.

          "Incendio!"

          "Furnuculus!"

          "Petrificum!"

          "Ratonsatium!"

          _Ratonsatium_?___ Isn't that the spell for causing someone to throw up? He thought, while still flat on his back._

          "Stop it. Now." A voice said, sounding very similar to his cousin's.

          "Ci?"

~

          Cicero Malfoy sat down on her cousin's stomach. She had used her own brand of magic to pin him to the floor, while at the same time making a barrier which absorbed all the spells that they threw at him.

          _Pratty__ cousin…_

          She held out her hand and froze all of them, so that only their mouths could move.

          "Cicero?" said Ron, controlling his voice. "Why are you defending that prat?"

          "She used wandless magic…" Hermione whispered.

          "Yeah, why are you defending Malfoy?" said Harry.

          "Wandless magic…"

          "'Mione? Keep quiet already! We know that she's using wandless magic!" said Ron, quite irritated.

          "He's your pratty cousin, isn't he, Ci?" said Ginny.

          "Yeah. Like I told you, Gin, he's quite the prat."

          "I am not a prat!" said a disgruntled Draco from underneath her.

          "You talk one more time without you are being spoken to, cousin dearest, and I'll expose your undies."

          "You won't!"

          "Wanna bet?" she said, raising her finger, causing her cousin to levitate a few inches, while she was on him.

          Ron stifled a laugh.

          "You too, Ron."

          Ron shut up immediately.

          "So why are you defending him?" said Harry.

          "Like I told Ginny a while ago, all I have is this pratty cousin of mine. And I won't let him get killed that easily."

          "How could you be cousins?" asked Hermione.

          "Because we are."

          "You never told me your family name a while ago…" said Ginny.

          "Yup. Hearing your family name, I knew that you were the people that Draco always fought with. And I knew that if you guys heard my family name, you might've thrown me out.

          "What is your Family name?" Asked Harry.

          "Cicero Malfoy."

          "A Malfoy! You must be like him!" said Ron.

          Cicero shook her head._ Just what I had feared._

          "She isn't, Ron." Said Ginny. "If she was, she could've killed us all in here a while ago. Hello, she blocked all of our spells and erected a barrier at the same time without a wand."

          "Thanks Gin."

          "No problem. Anything for a friend."

          Draco grunted underneath her.

          "Although I still have a question."

          "Fire away."

          "Are you guys Death Eaters?"

          Draco surprised everyone by laughing out loud.

          "We're not Death Eaters. Why should we be?" he said.

          "For a thousand reasons, Malfoy." Said Ron.

          "Look, I you promise not to make trouble, I'll unfreeze and unpin you all, provided Harry, Ron, Hermione and Gin sits down."

          All of them tried to nod, but failed, so they all said their agreement.

          She jumped off her cousin, and with a wave of her hand, all of them were standing and were able to move.

          Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny sat down, while Draco just stood up, arms crossed.

          "Give us proof that you're not Death Eaters." Said Ron.

          "Should we show them, Draco?"

          Her cousin nodded.

          "All of it?"

          "Only you were gifted to fully transform. I can't do that yet 'till I pass the test, remember?"

          "Yeah."

          "So? Are you gonna show us or not?" said Ron, tapping his foot.

          "I can't show you the full one yet, but I'll show you part of it." She said, snapping her fingers.

          Her sleeves suddenly disappeared, revealing creamy white shoulders and arms. No tattoo was visible.

          "Okay, I believe you. What about him?" said Ron, pointing to Draco.

          Draco snapped his fingers, and his sleeves also disappeared. (Ginny noted that they were both wearing turtlenecks) There was also no trace of tattoos on his arms.

          "I believe them." Said Ginny.

          "Yeah. Me too." Said Harry.

          "Me also." Said Hermione, nodding her head.

          "I guess I'll have to." Said Ron.

          "Listen. None of this gets out, okay?" said Cicero.

          All of them nodded.

          "Ci."

          "What?" 

          "Change into your robes, will you, we're about to arrive."

          "Oh. Okay." She said, as she began removing her boots.

          "Uh, Ci?" said Ginny.

          "Hmm?"

          Ginny pointed to the three men who were in the compartment.

          "Oh." She snapped her fingers.

          In an instant, Ron, Harry and Draco were out of the room, and the compartment door was locked.

          "Okay. It's now okay to dress up."

          "The door is locked, right?" asked Hermione.

          "Yup."

~

          "Darn. We got locked out." Said Ron, kicking the carpet.

          "Yeah. Pity." Said Draco, surprising the two other men.

          "Is this Draco Malfoy I'm talking to?"

          "Yeah. Settle for a truce?"

          "Okay." Said Ron.

          "As long as I still call you guys Potter and Weasley."

          "Wouldn't dream of having it any way else." Said Harry, holding out his hand.

          Draco took it, and they shook hands. 

          "Anyone saw that new train lady offering for sweets?" said Ron.

          "She's pretty…" said Harry.

          "She is?" said Draco.

~

          Overhead, the wish fairy smiled. She didn't make a mistake about sending Draco a message, on how to make people see the real him, after all.

          The first rule was to be nicer, especially to his enemies.

          _Let's see how he fares…_

Disclaimer: I'm sorry I forgot to put up the other one in the last chappie! I don't own anything except the plot, the character Cicero Malfoy and this yummy slice of pizza I'm eating right now.

Special thanks to:

1. SlytherinSweetie—here's your ordered chappie, though a little bit late.

2. Junebug—thanks!

3. Rosielady—thanks! 

4. Animezebra—thanks! I was afraid people would take his being human as an offense…

5. Peaceoutgrlmehi—Gin-gin's gonna go more things than that! Glad you're proud! And Snape? He's still gonna be bad to Ginny, but…

6. Daemon Sorceress—thanks!

7. Mi—this is the soonest that I can post!

8. C Kahran—yes, that was you, and sorry if you seem so OOC here…still finding the right time…


	3. Chapter 3

Author: Straw_berry (I don't know why ff.net spells it as straw-berry though…)

Title: Red Rose Petals

Rating: PG13

A/N: (Dated a long, long time ago…) I'm making this one after I finished my other story, which is today. [Proof of how dedicated I am…] I just hope that my diskette doesn't flop. 

Anyhow, I know that you'll all ask about Draco's very weird behavior, so don't worry, it will all be explained in this chapter.

For people who might think that Cicero's a cool name, the credit isn't mine. The name Cicero came from my friend. [Hi Mukkie-chan!]

Uh…for people who are asking about Harry and Ron's weird behavior, don't ask. Just popped up the last minute and I typed it.

To: Annoyed ()

          I'm sorry that I haven't updated "Another Sunny Day" yet. Please bear with me and my abnormally slow creative juice flow. It's just that I have been more engrossed in this story for quite a time. However, I promise to make the next chapter for ASD a long one.

                                                                                                          Sincerely, 

                                                                                                          Straw_berry

Whipped Cream!

Chapter Three

          The train arrived soon enough at Hogwarts, and all of them were taken up to the castle by horseless carriages. All was happy, seeing their old friends and re-telling tales of gay romps at vacation time. However, we must set apart six students, whose fate was suddenly altered by lord Destiny himself in that fateful train ride.

          Our Heroes, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley were sitting in one carriage, each deeply imbedded in their thoughts.

          _I wonder what made Malfoy call for a truce….it's highly unusual, considering that we have been enemies for a good six years…_Harry thought, wrinkling his brows. _And __Cicero__…man, she's beautiful…quite a catch, as Bill would say. Creamy skin, dark hair, purple eyes…she could win the Miss Hogwarts awards anytime…she could look like and angel…and I can imagine her in a devil's costume…_

          __

_          Malfoy and me? Friends? I don't think it's possible…it's as possible as me entertaining lover thoughts about Hermione…_ Ron thought, smiling in a goofy sort of way. _I can imagine it…me and Hermione, all alone in a beach house, enjoying the view—wait! Those thoughts were lover-like! @#%@#$!!! Man…I just contradicted myself…guess I have to put borders up to when I can kick his arse…_

_          Wandless magic! I've read about it somewhere…it's a gift that only a few people have…and what did Malfoy say? He didn't pass the test yet? Yes, I recall reading about that too…wandless magic holders take on a form, when they are in their ultimate…yes, that was why Ci said that she couldn't show her true form yet…does this have something to do with Malfoy? Maybe their powers are linked…_Hermione thought, sneaking a glance at Ron. _There he is…redheaded, stubborn, headstrong, and absolutely adorable…I wonder why I can't just tell him how I feel…_

_          I'm happy. Though Ci may be a Malfoy, she's different. She's nice, honest, and a trickster too! And, she's my friend…I wonder what house she's in? And why is that this is the first time I've seen her here? I should bring her home one of these vacations, so that she could meet my brothers…_ Ginny thought, nibbling on her lower lip. _Damn Draco Malfoy…_

/flashback/

_Ginny sat there, silent, her anger bubbling up inside her._

_          "Put away your wand, Potter, I'm not going to hex you all to kingdom come." He said._

_          His eyes had roamed the whole room, until they met hers._

_          Ginny was stunned still, when his gaze locked on to hers._

_          His eyes were a cold gray, making her feel like she was in the Antarctic. She could see his indifference, which was when she believed in the fact that he wasn't going to hurt them.  His eyes told her everything she needed to know. He was there for something else…_

_          "…Nothing you can give…except maybe…"_

_          When he said those words, she felt herself blush inwardly. She could see amusement in his eyes, along with something else…was it desire? She wasn't sure. She could never be sure. She wasn't paying quite that much attention, because his gaze was wrecking havoc on her._

_          That was when all she could see was a blinding light._

_          She had thought that Malfoy indeed cast a spell on them, and she cast one of her own._

/flashback/

          _Damn him for those eyes of his…eyes which can read my soul…his eyes, which are always so cold, and calculating—wait—they aren't calculating…or at least not always…it's just that…when I looked into his eyes…I felt, somehow…immobilized…I wonder why?_

          Meanwhile, in another carriage not far away, sat our to-be-heroes, Draco Malfoy and his cousin Cicero, also imbedded in their thoughts.

          _Red-headed wench…what's with that Weasley that makes me so attracted to her? She's nothing but an ordinary girl…but…there's something…she's got a magnetic force in her that makes me want to go nearer, be closer than close… _Draco thought, rubbing his chin with his fist. _Then again…I wonder what made me call a truce?_

"Stop lying to yourself man…you know perfectly well why…" he said, thinking out loud.

          _He knew alright. _He thought. _It all had something to do with that dream of mine last night…when I was tele-transported by Cicero outside, and I talked to them, it was like it was meant to be…I felt at ease with them…and as if a compelling force made me say those words out loud…it's as if the words just literally slipped out of my mouth, without even knowing it…_

/flashback/

          _Draco looked around in wonder around him. He was standing in a dirt path, and all around him, flowers were blooming. Flowers of different variety, of different color.  His gaze traveled up the path, to see a cheery cottage. Smoke was coming out of the chimney, and there was light in the house._

_          "Where the hell am I?" he said out loud, to no one in particular._

_           Hearing no answer, he turned around, only to come face to face with a brick wall._

_          "Oh crap…no choice but to move on forward…" _

_          He walked and walked and walked on the seemingly never-ending path.  He could see the house right up ahead, but the road was too long._

_          After what seemed to him like hours of walking, he reached the house and knocked on the door._

_          The door opened to reveal a woman in her mid-thirties. She had wavy brown hair and was wearing a gingham dress._

_          "Welcome, sonny. What may I do for you?" the woman asked._

_          "Can I please have a cup of water?" he asked, quite politely._

_          "Of course! Come on in."_

_          Draco walked in the small house. Inside, he found a small wooden table with four small wooden chairs. There was a quaint wooden cupboard, and two doors. One was marked bedroom, and the other, bathroom._

_          "Here you go, sonny, water."_

_          "Thank you, ma'am"_

_          "Why so polite?"_

_          Draco took time to ponder on his answer. "Maybe because in the world where I live, finding yourself in dirt paths and finding a brick wall behind you isn't exactly normal. You could be a fairy invading my dreams, or a spiritual being."_

_          The woman laughed, and transformed into a very stunning lady. "Your guess is right, Draco Malfoy."_

_          "How do you know my name?"_

_          "That's actually 'quite elementary', quoting from those books you read. I am the Wish Fairy. I heard your wish two moonrises ago, and I have some advice for you, young man."_

_          Draco just nodded._

_          "You wish for someone to see you, as you are, and not as you have built your image, am I right?"_

_          He nodded._

_"Well, my best advice is that you must destroy that image. Pick your worst enemies, and show them, slowly, who you really are. By doing that, others would also try too see you."_

_"You mean I have to show myself to Potter?"_

_She laughed. "Not literally. I reckon if you do that, Mr. Potter would have a heart attack."_

_"Then how?"_

_"I suggest that you try to do it slowly. Refrain from name calling, and from doing pranks, at least until you win their trust."_

_"But…you don't understand…there are a lot of complications…"_

_"I know. But all won't be complicated if you try to understand, and do something about it.  I understand that by doing so, you'd be facing many complications and problems…but, 'tis the price you have to pay, for having withheld yourself for oh so long…"_

_"Is there any alternative?"_

_"I don't think so…try being nice…you don't really know what benefits you might reap…"  _

_"Okay…"_

_"I think it's best for you to go now, for the sun will rise soon."_

_"Well, goodbye then."_

_"Goodbye, Mister Malfoy." She said, giving him a mysterious knowing smile, before shutting the door._

/Flashback/

          _I guess I have to be nice to them…I gave my word, and if there's one thing I perfectly know well about me, it's that I always keep my word…darn…why'd I forget to cross my fingers?_

_          Ginny Weasley. She's so lucky, growing up with all those brothers. They may be poor, as Draco had said, but they share love all around. I wonder how it's like growing up with seven brothers. All I have's Draco, and I don't even see him around that much…but he's the closest family I have, aside from my mom and Aunt Narcissa…_Cicero Malfoy thought, drumming her fingers on the seat. _I wonder who Blaise is…Draco didn't introduce me to him…and I didn't see him at the train…I spent so much time with Ginny and Harry. Harry Potter…name known to all of the Wizarding world…hero, son of the famous James and Lily Potter…a Quidditch star like his father…famous for getting into scrapes…loyal to Dumbledore…I wonder…these are all what people see from the outside…I wonder…how he is…inside?_

          "Stop lying to yourself, man…you know perfectly well why…" murmured Draco, who was seated across her.

          "Stupid Git of a cousin…" she said, at the same time hitting him in the shins. Draco appeared to have not felt it, however, because his face betrayed no emotion. It was as if he was in a trance.

          _Wait…I still have to plan revenge…for that pepper gum incident…I wonder if Ginny would help me…_she thought, grinning madly. _Watch out, Draco…cousin's gonna turn the tables on you…_

~

          The carriages arrived in due time at the Hogwarts entrance. The students slowly went down from their carriages, some quiet, some still chattering.

          The Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Years all went straight to the great wooden doors of the Great Hall and sat down at their respective places and houses. 

          The First Year students, however, just stood at the Entrance Hall, some nervous, some calm, and some, doing a Hermione imitation of six years past.

          If there was one thing in common of those new students at that very moment, it was that all of them were staring at the older girl at the end of the line.

          "Who do you think she is?" whispered one student.

          "She's awfully tall for a new student, like us." Whispered back another.

          "Maybe she's our teacher?"

          "Naw…she looks too young."

          "But…it could be—" 

Their whispers were suddenly cut off by a loud bang. In front of the students was a very, very wet and pissed off teacher wearing green robes and had her graying hair pulled back in a bun, which used to be very neat.

"Form your lines by alphabetical order." She said, in a calm but deadly voice.

The terrified students quickly obeyed. They knew well enough about how teachers could get angry, based from the re-re-re-told stories of pure terror from their brothers and sisters from higher levels.

"Professor?" a voice from the back asked.

The First years all looked back and saw the 'awfully tall girl' out of line, with her hand raised up in the air.

"What imprudence!" sniffed a brown-haired girl, who did a Hermione imitation, loud enough for it to be heard by her.

"Yes?" the Professor asked.

"Where do I stay?"

"What is your Family name?"

"Malfoy."

Those students who had started whispering suddenly shut up. Malfoy was still a name feared and respected, after all. Those who were around the brown-haired girl gave her looks of pure pity; the brown-haired girl herself was trembling, her face definitely paler.

"Ah. Miss Malfoy." The Professor said, smiling. "Kindly take your position at the back of the line. You will be called on, and that would be your 'cue' as to when to come out."

The tall girl at the back nodded.

"Come along then, students. Your sorting is about to begin."

~

          "Hey Gin, what're you staring over at the Slytherin table for? Malfoy got your eye?" said Seamus, teasingly.

          "Well, he is considered 'eye candy' after all…is he sweet, Ginny?" asked Lavander, twirling a strand of hair.

          The Gryffindor Seventh Years all laughed.

          "I am not looking at Malfoy! I was just looking for someone!" Ginny cried out amidst the laughter.

          "Someone that happens to be Malfoy?"

          "Yes!—I mean, No! Oh...I don't know!"

          The Seventh Years hooted.

          "Aw, c'mon Gin! You can tell us!"

          "Gin, you broke my heart!" said Seamus, clutching his heart and pretending to faint.

          "Quiet, you buffoons. Sorting's about to begin!" said Hermione.

          "Yes 'm!" said Seamus and Dean, giving Hermione a salute.

          Ginny smiled inwardly. She had a handful of friends when she was in Fifth Year, but now, ever since Ron announced to the Seventh Years that she was going to be with them, they made her feel instantly at home.

          Ginny scanned the hall one more time, before turning her head to where the Professor was. The Professor was dripping wet, due to a water balloon aimed by Peeves. Peeves was supposed to aim it at Neville, but the Professor stepped in front of Neville, to give him something that he forgot, and she got the full blast of it. Peeves was sentenced to five months in the 'Monastery' with the Fat Friar; he preferred that rather than to a month with the Bloody Baron.

          _Where's Ci? I can't find her in Slytherin, nor in Ravenclaw, nor in Hufflepuff, and certainly not in Gryffindor…_

          She scanned the Slytherin table one more time. She passed hear by head of brown, black, and golden hair, but she couldn't find her friend.

          She was nearing the end of the table, when a pair of gray eyes met hers.

          _Malfoy…_

          His eyes were not cold, but just cool and glacial.

          _Glacial…_

          He reminded her of ice, except that the ice was so thick, that all you could see was a blurry shape, and even blurrier colors.

          _Ice…_

          He was so different from his cousin. Cicero could be cold, as she was in their first meeting, but she was nice, and she made a move to be nice. 

          _Yes, she's definitely nicer._

          And they looked so different! Blonde haired, and a brunette, gray eyes and amethyst ones. Ginny had taken up Muggle studies before, and chose to study on Muggle Science, and had found out that between couples, the darker Genes more or less always would come out.

          _Then Ci must take after her mom…_

          Ginny wanted to break away from his gaze, because he was making her uncomfy, but found out that somehow, she couldn't. His eyes were like magnets, drawing her near, making her move towards him, unable to break away.

          "Gin?" said Harry, breaking into her thoughts and tapping her shoulder.

          Ginny turned around quickly, startled.

          "Are you okay?"

          "Yes, I'm fine."

          "Sorting's underway, and you seemed a million miles off. Penny for a thought?"

          "Convert that into a Sickle, and I'd give you my thought."

          "Naw…I'll stick to the penny."

          "Fine, pennypincher." She said, lightly punching his arm. "I was just wondering where Cicero is."

          "Really?"

          "Yep. Hey, I'd better look up front, McGonagall might kick me."

          "I thought about that too." Harry said, in an almost inaudible whisper.

~

          Draco Malfoy looked up from his empty plate. His best friend, Blaise Zabini, sat beside him, flirting with a girl. 

          He was bored…bored…bored. Cicero had to wait outside to be sorted, so he didn't have anyone decent to talk to, any one who wouldn't mention the stock exchange market or the possibility of them meeting in the Astronomy Tower for a quick relief—and Pansy Parkinson was really getting on his nerves.   

          He looked at the Gryffindor table, to see them all laughing.

          _I wonder why I had to be placed in Slytherin. I wonder why I was afraid of my father, afraid of him that much that I had mentally begged the Hat to place me in Slytherin?_

          He scanned the hall. The Sorting was about to begin, and he was apt to see his cousin.

          "Abbot, Jaine."

          "HUFFLEPUFF!"

          "Acrewood, Joan."

          "RAVENCLAW!"

          "Bomb, James."

          "GRYFFINDOR!"

          He looked as James Bomb, a boy with black hair and brown eyes, be welcomed by the other Gryffindors. He looked as he was thumped on the back, be hugged and hair be messed up. He was about to look away when a pair of dark blue eyes caught his. 

          _Ginny Weasley…_

          The youngest and probably most picturesque of all the Weasleys was there, looking at him, in the eyes. A lot of thoughts were going through her head, that was quite obvious, but still, she didn't break her gaze.

          _Strong…_

          Her hair was sleek and shiny, and it glowed around her shoulders, making it seem as if she had a halo.

          _Glowing…_

          He looked at her eyes, deep, dark, blue eyes that were easy to get lost in. She reminded him of fire, actually. Fire drew you in, made you get lost, and sometimes, can make you wind up in the hospital…but fun, nonetheless…

          _Fire…like fire…_

"Malfoy." A voice cut through his thoughts like a butter knife.

          "What, Zabini?"

          "I noticed that you seem to be staring there at Miss Weasley…" he said, in a voice that only Draco could hear.

          "So? I happen to know-tice that you often stare at Miss Brown more often then necessary…"

          "Just making plans, that's all."

          "Plans for what? Reproduction?"

          "Aww, c'mon man…you're not fun…"

          "Keep Quiet, will you?"

          "Fine. Grouch."

~

          Cicero Malfoy stood just outside the Great Hall, waiting for her turn to be sorted.

          In front of her was a small boy of eleven, with sandy brown hair, freckles, dimples, and blue eyes.

          "Hey, little guy, what's your name?" she said, bending down to look at the 'kid' straight in the eye.

          "My name's Thyle Rosend. What's yours?" the boy replied, and asked back.

          "Well Thyle, my name's Cicero Malfoy. Nice to meet you."

          "Nice to meet you too."

          "Can I ask a question?"

          Thyle nodded.

          "How do we get sorted?"

          "We put on a hat, then we wait, then we go to our houses."

          "Houses?"

          "Yup. Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff."

          "Oh-kay…thanks."

          "Sure." Thyle said, hesitating for a moment. "You aren't mean, aren't you?"

          "Nope. I'm as mean as your favorite stuffed bear."

          Thyle smiled, dimples popping out.

          "Rosend, Thyle."

          "Time to go." She said, rumpling his hair.

          "Bye."

          "Bye." She replied.

          She watched Thyle go through the door, and then she started pacing again. She was a bundle of nerves, admittedly, but who wouldn't be, when you were just uprooted from your school and transferred to another one?

          "Aww man…" she said.

          Finding nothing else to do, she pressed her ear to the door and listened.

          "—students. Today, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, we have a new student, who transferred from Annèleiux Academy for Witchcraft and Wizardry, the sister school of Hogwarts. Our new student will be with the Seventh Years, and will enjoy the same privileges as they. I ask you now, to please welcome our new student, Miss Cicero Malfoy!"

           She quickly stepped back and smoothed her already smooth hair, and adjusted her robes. It was good that she stepped back, because a second later, the door had magically opened, revealing the Great Hall. She was actually stunned for a few seconds at the sight. A lot of candles, floating in the ceiling, except for the fact that there seemed to be no ceiling…there was just a big dark blue sky full of twinkling stars.

          She looked at the people at the hall and saw a long table, filled with Professors. At the center was the Headmaster, assumingly, and before him was the green robed Professor she had seen earlier, and beside her, a ragged hat.

          The whole hall of students was silent as she walked past them, robes billowing behind her. She passed many faces, some distrustful, some curious, some friendly, and some, 'oogling'. 

          When she reached the Hat, she picked it up, sat on the chair, and put it over her head.

          _You're not like the hat in my old school…she's your sister, isn't she?_ She thought, asking the hat.

          "Yes, she is." The hat replied.

          _Where are you going to put me then?_

"I'm still checking, Miss Malfoy. You are a woman of many talents, much like Mister Potter…"

          _What about him?_

"I was supposed to put him in Slytherin, but he protested, so I out him in Gryffindor."

          _Really?_

"Yes. Much like Mister Malfoy too. He had many Gryffindor Qualities, but in the end, he chose Slytherin."

          _It isn't the end yet._

"Maybe. Maybe not. It is up to the person to decide, actually."

          _So where will I be?_

"Where did my sister place you?"

          _She placed me at Lady Helaena Liux._

"Oh…Lady Helaena, I knew her. She was a pretty lass, full of hopes and ideals, and a nasty way of, what do you call it nowadays? Oh yes, kicking arse."

          _Kicking Arse?_

"Yes…anyhow, I'm daddling too long already…let me see, you're smart and cunning, but you've a good heart. You're a good person, and you're not afraid for anyone to see…a trickster, eh? Much like Mister Malfoy, unless of course, you want to get sorted into Slytherin?"

          _I want you to choose. After all, you know the best place for me to be, right?_

"If that's the case, I shall place you in Lady Liux's counterpart."

          _Okay. _

          "GRYFFINDOR!"

          Cicero took the hat off her head and looked around at the hall once more. She saw her cousin, on the far right, motioning to the table on the far left. She turned her head there and saw Ginny, waving frantically at her. 

          She walked down the steps and towards Gryffindor, when a small figure flew right smack into her.

          "Cicero! Glad you're here!"

          "Thyle! You're in Gryffindor too?"

          "Yup!"

          She walked towards Ginny, Thyle having gone off to join his friend.

          "Hey, Gin!"

          "You didn't tell me you were a transfer student!"

          "You didn't ask!"

          "Students!" The Headmaster said, tapping his goblet. "Now that we're all settled in, let's eat!"

          Food suddenly started appearing on their plates.

          "Holy cow!" exclaimed Cicero.

          "Holy is right!" said Ginny, getting some Devil's Food Cake.

~

          Moments later, all the food got cleared up, and the students were full, sleepy, tired and waiting to go to bed.

          "Students are now dismissed—" Professor McGonagall began, "—and are expected to go to their dormitories, save for Harry Potter and Cicero Malfoy."

          All the students rose and started walking out of the Hall. Excited mumblings could be heard, also a few complaints and a lot of sighs.

          "Harry, Ci!" Ginny called out, "See ya' later!"

          Harry was starting to get nervous. He didn't do anything wrong, right? Or at least, he couldn't remember doing anything wrong…he could still remember, way back in his Third Year, when Madam Pomfrey tried to stuff his face with chocolate…he had an aversion to the particularly delectable sweet a week after that incident.

          He gave out a shudder. If something like that would happen again, and in front of Ci too, he'd die of embarrassment. 

          "Is it that repulsive being here with me?" Ci asked.

          "Huh? What? No! Of course not!" he replied, stuttering.

          "Why'd you shudder, then?"

          "Nothing doing." He said, regaining his composure. "Just remembered a nasty incident."

          "What nasty incident?"

          "Well, in our Third Year, when my Godfather, Sirius Black was still on the loose, they let loose a pack of Dementors here at Hogwarts. On the train, there was one Dementor that entered out carriage, and…"

          "And?"

          "I heard my mum screaming…y' know, before she died."

          "At least you can now hear her voice, although it's not a particularly nice memory…"

          "You're…different." Harry said, looking at her. "Everybody keeps on saying 'sorry' or 'I did not mean to bring it up', but you said otherwise."

          Ci smiled at him. "It's nice sometimes, being different. And besides, I'm a frank person."

          "Oh…anyways, when we got to school, Professor McGonagall whisked me off to her office, and Madam Pomfrey, she's the school nurse, tried to stuff my face with chocolate."

          Ci laughed out loud. "Stuff your face with chocolate?"

          "Yup. She wanted me to eat the whole bar, but…I'm not that much of a chocoholic maniac."  
          Ci laughed even louder, her hand hitting the table. "Cho-chocoholic maniac?"

          "What?!?"

          "It's just funny! I called Draco that too!"

          "Malfoy?"

          "Yup! Before, when we were little kids, he dared me to eat a box ox caramel creams. And so I did. In turn, I dared him to eat a box of chocolates, and he got really sick, so I called him a chocoholic maniac!"

          "Him? Eat Chocolates?" Harry said, incredulously. He could picture a small Dudley, with all the fat gone, pigging out on chocolates.

          Someone coughed behind them.

          "Professor McGonagall!" said Harry, falling off his chair.

          Ci only laughed harder.

          "Let me begin." She said, causing Ci to keep quiet. "Miss Malfoy, as a member of Gryffindor house, you will be entitled to all the privileges a Gryffindor student has, like wearing the house badge, opportunity to earn points for your house, play on the Quidditch team, and access to the Common Room and to your dorm. You will be boarding with Miss Weasley, you have met her, I presume?"

          "Yes, Professor."

          "I am the Head of Gryffindor House, Professor Minerva McGonagall, and I teach Transfiguration. Professor Snape is the Head of Slytherin, Professor Sprout is the Head of Hufflepuff, and Professor Sinistra is the Head of Ravenclaw. Underneath the House Heads are the Head Girl and Head Boy, who are Hermione Granger and Terry Boot, respectively. They are third-in-command, followed by the prefects of each house. In Gryffindor, it is Adella Smyth and George Brussell, both Sixth Year students."

          Ci nodded.

          "You will be expected to behave properly, because not behaving well may result to deduction of house points, therefore lessening the chances of winning the House Cup. Answering questions correctly will earn House Points, winning Quidditch Games, or, in some cases, doing errands."

          Ci nodded again.

          "Tryouts for Quidditch positions, in case you are interested, are next week, so you have to start preparing. Any questions?"

          "None, Professor."

          "Okay, you are now dismissed." Professor McGonagall said, walking away from them.

          "Wait! Professor!" he cried out.

          "What is it, Potter?"

          "Why'd you ask me to stay then?"

          "To escort Miss Malfoy to the Common Room. I believe that you know Hogwarts more than she does, so make sure she does not get into danger." She replied, and with a pop, disappeared.

          Harry's palms began to sweat. 

          _What am I supposed to do? Hold her hands? No! I couldn't do that! But I do have to entertain her somehow…because she's my friend! I can't just walk and walk and walk! Oh…if only I had experience with walking girls home…_ he thought, agonized.

          "So…Harry?" said Ci, tapping her foot from where she sat.

          "Y-yes?" he said, stuttering a bit. _Aww man…I had to stutter, didn't I?_

          "Where's the Gryffindor Common Room?"

~

          Soft swooshing sounds could be heard as the staircases moved. Cicero stopped as they reached the stairway nearest to the Great Hall.

          "Harry?" she asked.

          "Yes?" he replied.

          "The stairs don't move when you step on them right?"

          "Yes, No, I don't really know…" he replied, half-jokingly.

          "Tell me you're joking…"

          "I really don't know. These stairs have a mind of their own…one minute they move, the other minute they don't. so you can never be sure…"

          She slapped her hand to her forehead.

          "What's wrong?" asked Harry, a concerned look on his face. "Headache?"

          "No…it's just that I'm not used to moving stairs, that's all…"

          "Don't they have them at Annèleiux?"

          "Nope. They only had walking statues, but that was bearable."

          "Walking statues? Cool!"

          "Yeah. But it would put you in a sticky situation if you suddenly bumped into one of them. There was one statue, Grego the Fifteenth, who was very, very vain. If you suddenly bumped him and caused his 'golden locks' to become disarranged, he'd chase you around in rage!"

          "Really?"

          "Yup!"

          "Do you have ghosts there?"

          "Naw…just water nymphs and the stuffs."

          "Really?" said Harry, in an awed kind of way.

          "Yup! Don't tell me that you have never seen a water nymph?"

          He shook his head.

          "I'll take you nymph sighting one day!"

          "Really?"

          "Yeah…hey, we should probably get going now…"

          "Yeah." He replied. "Be careful on this step!" 

          "Which one?" she replied, looking at the stairs they had just stepped on.

          "That one!" he cried out as she was going to put her foot down.

          She pulled back her foot in alarm, causing her to stumble.

          "Whoa!" she exclaimed, losing her balance. She felt herself flying, gravity losing her grip on her.

          _Oh Merlin, no! I don't want to die this way!_

          She felt herself falling headfirst downwards. The staircase they had 'hopped on' to was a very long one, and when she jerked her foot backwards, she had accidentally activated the "move" sensor, causing the staircase to, well, move.

          _I'm dying…_she thought, as she fell. she saw Harry's face, handsome and concerned, shouting something, and holding his hands out. _I'm gonna die…sorry cousin, sorry Ginny…I haven't spent enough time with you guys…_

          Something suddenly gripped her ankle, causing her to be suspended in mid-air. She could still dimly sense that the staircase was still moving, but she wasn't. Something or someone had grabbed her ankle. 

          She raised up her head a little bit to see her 'hero'. What met her sight was a very red-faced Harry Potter, one hand on her ankle, probably kneeling on the stairs, and looking away from her.

          "Harry?"

          "Yes?" he answered, still not looking at her.

          "Why are you looking away from me? How can I thank you properly if I can't see your face?" she said, worried.

          _Why doesn't he look at me? Does he think I'm a klutz? Is he mad at me?_

"Ah…e-erm…y-you see, w-when…when I…" he let out a sigh, still holding on to her ankle. "When I look at you, I happen to get a view of your undies." He turned even redder.

          She felt her face turn crimson. She didn't usually blush, especially in front of guys, and this was a first.

          "Is that so?" she said, feigning calmness. "Could you pull me up now?"

          Harry nodded and pulled her up, red face and all.

          When she was safely on the stairs, she smoothed her skirt and stood up.

          "Harry, let's go. The stairs stopped already."

          Harry just nodded.

          They climbed the stairs in silence, sound of footsteps filling the void between them. 

          "This is the Gryffindor Wing." Harry said, breaking the silence. "At the end of the Wing is the entrance to the Tower."

          "Harry, wait." She said, placing her hand on his shoulder. She felt himself tense when her hand met his arm.

          "I want to thank you for saving my life a while ago. If you hadn't grabbed my ankle, I might have been a scrambled egg by now."

          "But still…" she continued, facing Harry. "…that doesn't excuse you from being a pervert!!!" 

          She brought her hand, gathering force and slapped him hard on the face, leaving an imprint of a hand.

          "Oww!" Harry said, staggering sideward from the force of her slap.

          She walked away in a huff towards the portrait on the end of the wing, leaving behind a confuse and somewhat bemused Harry.

          _Serves you right, pervert!_

          When she reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, she found no one there.

          "Oh man…not like our portrait at school!" she muttered, giving the portrait three sharp knocks, as if one would use at a door.

          "Yes?" that Fat Lady said, huffing. She had heard the knocks from her friend, Lady Violet's portrait, and she had come rushing over. 

          "Could you please open the door now?" she said, quite impatiently.

          The Fat Lady Knitted her brows. This one was different. "Password?"

          "I wouldn't know. I'm a new student here, and they haven't told me the password."

          "Is that so?"

          Ci nodded.

          "And who might you be?"

          "Cicero Malfoy, transfer student. Nice to meet you."

          "Ahh…you are the transfer student. Well, hurry in, the password's 'golden rainbow'."  
          "Thanks!" she replied, flashing the Fat Lady a smile.

          "No problem!" said the Fat Lady, shutting the door with a quiet swoosh.

~

          Harry Potter stood at the hallway, when he heard a quiet swooshing sound. He looked up just in time to see the Fat Lady humming and walking away.

          _Holy crap…no!_

          Harry ran fast, hoping to catch the Fat Lady before she walked away.

          "Fat Lady! Fat Lady!" he cried out, holding out his hands.

          The Fat Lady stopped in mid-step, head turning to face Harry.

          "Young Potter!" she said. "Password?"

          "I…don't…know!" he said, hands on knees, gasping for breath.

          "Were you with that new student?"

          He nodded.

          "Nice girl that is." She said, nodding. "Password's 'golden rainbow', now hurry up and enter, I still have an appointment!" 

          Harry quickly clambered up to the hole, looking around the common room. Only a few people were still up, and that included Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Cicero.

          "Harry! Are you alright, mate? You look as if you've been chased by a ghost, and slapped by one too! Are you chasing after that lovely ghost again?" said Ron, worried and half-joking.

          "Ron!" Hermione said, slapping him at the back, then turned to face Harry. "Did you and Malfoy fight again?"

          "Which Malfoy?" he said wryly.

          "Was it Draco, Harry?" said Ginny, facing the trio.

          "Yeah Harry. Was it Draco?" Spoke up Cicero, her eyes taunting, daring him to speak the truth, a slight smirk gracing her lips.

          Harry turned to face Cicero, eyes laughing, telling her that he knew of her challenge, and wished to bypass it. "Nope." He answered at long last, after staring at Cicero. "It was someone worse. Right Cicero?"

          Ron, Hermione and Ginny looked back and forth at the two, who were exchanging answers. They looked like spectators in a ping pong match.

          "Really? Was that person that bad?"

          "Maybe, maybe not. After all, I haven't known that person for so long."

          "Is that so? Would you like to get to know that person more?'

          "Maybe not. I wouldn't want to risk another slapping session."

          "Really? What if that person won't slap you anymore, as long as you promise that you behave?"

          "I didn't misbehave. I merely did some good."

          "Being pervertive is good? Wow, new fact."

          "Saving a life is good. And shouldn't the 'savee' be glad and grateful that someone saved her?"

          "The 'savee', as you put it, is grateful. She just isn't grateful for the fact that someone had to peek under her skirts!"

          "Well the one who saved her already said that it was an accident!"

          "Well if the one who saved her was a gentleman, then he'd say sorry!"

          "Well fine then! I'm sorry! Happy now?"

          "Ah…I get it…" said Ron, butting in. "Harry accidentally 'violated' you while trying to save you, didn't he?"

          "Yeah, he did! Wait! How'd you know it was me?" Cicero said.

          Ron shrugged his shoulders. "It's quite obvious!"

          "But we didn't m,ention names!"

          "Yeah!" Harry said. How'd you know? I didn't say anything!"

          "I just knew,. That's all!"  
          "Really? You must've been spying on me, have you?"

          "Ron! I Can't believe that you would spy on another girl! I thought it was Hermione you liked!"

          "I didn't spy on Cicero, and I don't like Hermione!"

          "Really Harry? Ron likes 'Mione?"

          "Yup. That's the truth Ci. He likes Mione, and Mione likes him back."

          "I DON'T!" Ron and Hermione both said.

          "How dare you Harry!" said Hermione.

          "Yeah! And I thought you were my best friend!"

          "Gee, Mione, if you like Ron, then tell him already!"

          "How many times do I have to tell you, Ci! I don't like him!"

          "Yeah! And I don't like her either!"

          "Awoooh! Yeah right! Ron and Mione sitting in a tree!"

          Ron blushed red. "I said I didn't like her!

          Harry and Ci laughed.

          "I don't!"

          Ginny watched them all with amusement.

          "You guys never do grow up, don't you?" she said.

          "Don't speak to me that way! I'm your older brother!

          "Yeah! And I'm your older brother's girl friend!"

          "See! You admitted it!" cried Ginny, gleefully clapping her hands.

          "I meant girl-space-friend!"

          "Yeah right!"

~

          In the Slytherin Common Room, Draco Malfoy lay on his bed, thoughts drifting back and back to his cousin.

          _I wonder if she's alright there? Are they treating her well? Are Potter and Weasley being friendly to her? Or even more than that? _His hands clenched into fists. _If they hurt my cousin…they'll pay…  _

          "Draco, darling…open up! Pansy's here to see you!" a feminine voice said from outside his door.

          "Fine. Come in." he said, sitting up.

          Pansy saw the look on his face. That look meant murder.

          "Who're you gonna murder now?" she asked, massaging his back.

          "A lot of people."

          "Look. I know I'm not as close to you as Blaise, and that you only consider me as your 'plaything on the side', but you can tell me your problems, you know…" she said, sitting down next to him.

          "Have you ever experienced caring for someone so much it hurts? And that you want to kill the people who hurt her?"

          "It's your cousin, isn't it?"

          "Yeah."

          "Don't worry. Potter and Weasley wouldn't get under her skirts. They're too inexperienced and gentlemanly."

          "How'd you know?"

          "Asked them once. Turned beet red and ran off to the other direction."

          "Really."

          "I'm serious!"

          "Well then, I have nothing to worry about."

          "Yup. Nothing at all…"

          "You're a great plaything friend, Pans."

          "Just remember, though, Draco, I'm just a friend, okay?"

          "Why? Don't you wanna get hitched?"

          "Naw…at least not to you. I love being single, and besides, I still have my inheritance and the family business to see me through."

          "Is this Pansy Parkinson I'm talking to?"

          "Yeah."

          "Let me guess. New guy?"

          "Yeah. You know that Blane guy? That seventh year Ravenclaw? He's pretty hot."

          Draco turned around to face her annoyed look on his face. "Did you just come up here to talk about guys?"

          "Naw…"

          His face softened. "You know that we're friends, Pans. You and me and Blaise. We've been friends since ever since I can remember."

          "Yup. Do you still remember what I told you a long, long time ago?"

          "The one about marriage?"

          "Yeah. The only one I'll allow to marry you is the one who'll be able to withstand me, and my tortures and punishments."

          "Why?"

          "Because you don't deserve a namby pamby wife."

          Draco ruffled her neatly styled hair.

          "Hey! Watch the hair, will you!"

          "And what if I don't?"

          Pansy stuck out her tongue at him.

Disclaimer: Fine. I don't own Cicero too.

A/N: Finished this chapter on June 7, 2003.

Thanks to all of those who reviewed! I appreciate all of them!

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